絵本忠義水滸伝 巻38-40
This is a Meiji-era Japanese picture book (ehon) of the Water Margin novel, volumes 38 to 40, compiled and adapted by Shimizu Ichijirō and published by him in 1884 for a general reading public. The pictures are monochrome woodblock-style line illustrations: a crowded battle on a river with armoured warriors and arrows, two standing figures in robes with inscribed names beside them, a swimmer grappling with a figure at a ship's side, and a formal scene of seated lord before rows of attendants on a tiled floor. A designer could draw on their dense hatched textures, flowing water patterns, and strong figure silhouettes for historical or ink-style graphics.
